Lion Mane Research Paper

The purpose of the male lion's mane has long perplexed biologists. Because female lions roam in groups of three or four, and allow only one male to reside with them, competition between males is fierce. Rival males often fight to the death-with their enormous teeth and claws-to gain coveted access to a pride. This led many biologists - including Charles Darwin - to assume that the function of the thick manes was to make it harder for attackers to reach the vulnerable throat area. But over the years this assumption has been questioned by field biologists who actually saw lions fight and noticed that the mane area was rarely targeted.
Evolutionary biologist Peyton West and her colleagues from the University of Minnesota used life-size lion dummies
A better understanding of their physionomy and behaviour will also help conservationists reestablish dwindling populations. "The lion is an intensively studied species and probably the best known wild cat on earth," says field biologist Luke Hunter of Wildlife Conservation Society-International, "but good science is still revealing new things about the species and turning over popular
Newswise — It's long been known that lions with long, full manes get the girls. Now, an innovative study based on zoo animals all across America shows for the first time that cold temperatures help lions grow their manes long and thick—and more appealing to potential mates.
Up to one-half of the length and density of a zoo lion's mane can be attributed to temperature, according to a study that is the cover story of the April issue of the Journal of Mammalogy, published on April 13, 2006. Other factors involved in mane growth include nutrition, social factors, individual history, and
Patterson is the author of The Lions of Tsavo, the story of the two notorious lions that ate as many as 135 people (by some accounts) in the end of the 19th century, before they were finally hunted down and killed.
The new study examined mane variation for 19 lions in 17 zoos across the United States, from as far north as Chicago to as far south as Houston. Patterson visited these and other zoos last spring to inspect lions and photograph their manes for later analysis and comparison. Trained volunteers, many of them with experience from Earthwatch's Lions of Tsavo project, used the high-resolution photographs to rank the length, density, and color each lion's main, using specific criteria. The lions ranged from 1.7 to 18 years old, but age did not turn out to be a factor in mane length or density.
The zoos included in the study are located in cities that span 12 degrees of latitude or more than 2,000 miles. Mean temperatures there varied from 20 to 54 degrees Fahrenheit in January and from 65 to 87 degrees Fahrenheit in July. Cold January temperatures showed a stronger correlation with mane variation than did hot July temperatures, suggesting a stronger response to cold than to